somniferous almond eyes

Endometriosis Nurtec Treatment: Dosing Update

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 02:00:10 GMT

Hello!
Since December 13th 2024 I have been self-administering Nurtec for Endometriosis. After 1 month of experimenting: I am currently taking 1 Nurtec every 7 days. If I forget to take the 7th day I am in pain I need to supplement with Aleve.

I am also taking the injectable Emgality once a month for Migraine.

Pain levels over the past month have been at a zero for 95% of the time. Up to a four during that 5% (usually on the 7th day). This is down from constant "I need a surgeon" levels of pain 1 month ago.

It would not be difficult to set a google alert to take it weekly.

This is my experience and probably doesn't work for everyone, but it is something.

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This post is unlocked so you can share with your pained and providers.

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In which we have a real Endometriosis treatment

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 21:53:27 GMT

Friday morning: Pain level is at 7. I'm on the internet and phone shopping for an endometriosis surgeon and trying to figure out when to fit that in the schedule.

Friday 3:00 shalpacafarm emailed an article that a real endometriosis treatment had be found, in mice, with an already FDA approved migraine medication, Nurtec. Nurtec has almost no side effects and it REALLY works on migraines. Not only is endometriosis pain controlled but IT SHRINKS THE LESIONS.

https://www.livescience.com/health/fertility-pregnancy-birth/migraine-molecules-may-drive-endometriosis-pain-existing-drugs-might-help

I said, "But I'm already on 2 CGRP inhibitors...." I shoot Emgality monthly for the past 6 years and Nurtec is a backup.

6 years ago is when I thought I became pre-menopausal because the endometriosis symptoms were so much better. Ohhhhhh.
and 3 months ago the endometriosis symptoms stared up again was the same time ee said, "Do you want to adjust your meds? You look like you need me to adjust your meds" I declined more Emgality but stocked more Nurtec in my handbag and house.

Providers are sometimes horrible patients. It takes me half an hour to figure out that I should just take the Nurtec and see what happens. By 5:00 I am pain free. Zero pain.

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rebeccmeister dug up the whole paper. You can have it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16Pf56Zs3nrI6vKlZAUGB-ABiY4Iog0tj/view?usp=sharing

I asked ee for comment:
"good article.
seems to me they should just give it to people off label and see if it helps.
or maybe they did and now they are doing the animal experiments as a precursor to human studies.
but since nurtec is already fda approved, it can be prescribed today off label (or just lie and say the person has migraine. i mean, prove they don’t? right.)"

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Saturday:
Zero pain. Zero brain fog. Zero bloating. No meds taken.

Sunday: oh Lord here comes The Period. Aleve and gabapentin. But it's period pain, it's not endometriosis pain.
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DOSING INSTRUCTIONS!
https://labeling.pfizer.com/ShowLabeling.aspx?id=19036

Nurtec preventative is used AS NEEDED and can be prescribed as such, up to one every other day.
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GO TEAM! I am leaving this post public so you can share with your pained ones. And inform you OBGYNs.

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The little mice. I've been thinking constantly of the little endometriosis mice who kneaded their little endometriosis bellies in pain.

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Terror Camp; Body Horror

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 01:57:54 GMT

This weekend I am on the Zoom conference about tall ship polar exploration, Terror Camp. Terror Camp is by and for young homos and to quote the author of Madness at the End of the World, "I thought my audience was old beardy guys who like the Civil War, yet there's 400 of you here, my largest audience ever, who are...not that... Why do you like me?"

I did not pipe in with, "I have the landlocked blues and I need to know that being on a ship is miserable."

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When I had endometriosis surgery at 22 they gave me 1 year before I'd need surgery again. 2 if I took my meds. I got 21 years.

21 years.

The endometriosis is burrowing into my lower intestine.
I thought, Hm 21 years. Surely we have had some medical break throughs in treatment? Studies? Developments?
No.
Jack shit.

I looked at my collection of what sort of helped in the past:
Diet? Nope.
NSAIDs: Nope.
Gabapentin: Nope
Booze: Bingo

I had 3 drinks at the Gaybors Buc-ee's themed Christmas Party last night. I took 2nd in the costume contest. #1 had a texas flag bikini and stripped, she deserved it. I had a Buc-ee's onesie. We got LEGOs in the White Elephant. I ate lots of garbage. I slept well, not completely pain free, but better than I had in weeks.

I'm normally a 3 drinks a month person ish. So there's now booze with dinner. Tonight is Schilling Cider House Mango 9.1% We'll see how long it holds.
Next step is opiates and finding a surgeon.

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Postcards

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 04:16:56 GMT

Perhaps you have received one of the more than 500 postcards I have sent in the past 4 years.

As it turns out, there are still hundreds of postcards in the drawer. Lo, the Harris campaign needs postcard writers. That's MEEEE.
https://postcardstovoters.org/

I only had 10 postcard stamps left. So off to the post office tomorrow.

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Tue, 25 Jun 2024 16:01:04 GMT

I just finished my Master's Degree.

Going to return my book to the library and take myself out to lunch. Probably ice cream.

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What Would You Do With An Allergic Sailor?

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 02:00:07 GMT

Friday night! Pirate Fest Day 1!
Attorney and her husband came, they were delighted. We saw people on stilts dressed as Jellyfish. Giant Seahorse lanterns. Mermaids, Giant Squid mascot. So many pirates. Tinkerbell, Smee, Captain Crunch, The Dread Pirate Roberts, Jack Sparrow, Vikings, Goths.
and me
Stede Bonnet in the pink bird robe.
Many people knew who I was this year, and asked for photos.
We sang 500 miles and whiskey in the jar and what would you do with a drunken sailor and drunken lullabies.

When the Celtic punk rock band The McDeviants started a young man asked me to dance. After 3 minutes of spinning I felt I was unable to catch my breath and nauseous. I stepped aside and thought, "Wow, graduate school made me REALLY out of shape." I asked John to take me home where I saw myself in the mirror, I was red all over. Not out of shape, just having an allergic reaction to the french fries.
I joked later to Jake that I took, "So many drugs last night, Zofran, benedryl, pepto, gabapentin. I'm sure that's how Maggie wanted us to honor her."

Super upset I missed the McDeviants. Glad to be alive.
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Pirate Fest Day 2!
I found Jake and we walked around looking at all the fun booths and pirates. We got pizza rather than the food trucks. Such good times.

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Today:
Roz wanted to go to Tokio ramen and sushi for her birthday. There was a football and a baseball going on so we walked right in, ate, and were out in an hour?
She loved the bonsai I've been working on for her for the past 3 months.

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Bra Update:
I ordered the entire Calvin Klein Pride line, it's very on sale. https://www.calvinklein.us/en/pride?sz=60&start=0

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Abby

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 05:21:12 GMT

Mom called.

"I have terrible family news. But Roz says I'm not supposed to say it like that because it sounds like someone died."
"Who died?"
"No one died."
"Good."
"Your cousin Martha's husband Brian, has decided to become a woman, so Lois is flying out next week to Martha out of Brian's apartment."
"Abby's apartment."
"Lois calls her Brian Abby."*
"Abby."
"Anyways so we aren't all getting together. And Bryce got a job! He's the manager at Jiffy Lube. So he works Sundays and then I guess we aren't getting together with him then either."

*there are 2 other Abbys in the immediate family, Alisse's daughter Abby and Niffer's cat Abby. We have 3 Johns and 2 Wades and 2 Jennifers. Wade's wife AND sister are Jennifer G (hence Niffer, Niffer hates being called Niffer). You can see why Niffer named her kids Saylor and Almathea.

Not like I can travel back in time and urge my brother to aim for a career rather than ending up at 38 yo as a manager at Jiffy Lube. He's probably disappointed in himself enough, but he needs to get food on the table some how. "The average salary for General Manager at Jiffy Lube in Colorado is $53,281." It'll be less than that in Pueblo. I'm glad his wife has a job. SIGH.

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Oak LFL

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 04:09:57 GMT

Yesterday Mom and I converted the Oak street station busted newspaper rack that had been hit by a bus into the Oak Little Free Library. She cleaned it out while I repaired it. She picked a green sticker to match the green Boat with Legs above it:
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/47500
we both added books to fill it up.
I ordered her the green sticker and the Little Free Library Charter. Shelley the Train Lord paid me back.

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I told ee I'm considering graduate school, he asked how he could help.

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I won today

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 02:26:01 GMT

"Of all my providers, you help me the most."

"My kid has never asked to read a book for fun until today."

"I'm doing so much better than I thought I would. Thank you so much."

I got to consult sex/hormones/eating post TBI (lube, more lube, and Dr. Jen Gunter's books). and she cried because none of her other providers bring this up.

Phone call: "What is a concussion therapist?"
"I'm a board certified vision therapist so I primarily treat vision problems post head injury; but I also am a certified brain injury specialist so we talk about all the other issues surrounding TBI such as brain fog, over stimulation, hormones, diet: like the need to eat all the cookies..."
"You know about the cookies!?"
"I know about the cookies."
"How soon can you see me?"

"Everyone loves you and you do perfectly every day."

I'm in the Arvada Press today https://twitter.com/ArvadaPress/status/1504201542282317825

and I ate some cake :)

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Falls of Clyde

Sun, 13 Mar 2022 05:01:17 GMT

Falls of Clyde is going to be be restored! I hope I live long enough to ride it! Trip to Scotland eventually?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falls_of_Clyde_(ship)

https://www.foci.scot/

OMG, how are they going to get it Scotland?

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Tue, 25 Jan 2022 02:34:25 GMT

2015
ee to me: you've got your surgery checklist, take all your meds, don't forget the ex lax, drink lots of water...

2022: me to ee: you've got your surgery checklist, take all your meds, don't forget the ex lax, drink lots of water...

ee is having carpal tunnel surgery this week. I'll be on an internet conference wed-thu on the Business of TBI which is a lot of HR and medical coding zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz .

I'm going to try to make this home conference "fun" I got a bath bomb, and some hot coca, and some booze, I'll order delivery food.... but it won't be anything like the last brain conference in New Orleans.... or the one we were supposed to go to in Dublin.

I am just a bundle of joy over here.

Okay:

The kumquat tree produced a few hundred kumquats this year, they are ready and delicious.

I got a Buddha fountain for the skunks to drink out of but I'm really enjoying it in the living room. It really felt like buying "stuff" but garden ornaments are one of the few nice moments of the COVID era. and it makes the air in the living room feel softer.

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Carl

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 04:26:53 GMT

Patient today went on for awhile about how she is Anti-SSRIs and anti meds and tells other people that they are poisoning their bodies by taking their meds and they just need the right combination of essential oils...
and she's sobbing because she's now on all those meds because frontal lobe damage and it was like take the meds or kill yourself and the meds are helping and she's getting better but...

and damn. I do a LOT of acting in my job, but I had to reach really far to even grab enough empathy to fake being a good therapist to her today... WHAT WOULD GOOD THERAPIST ME SAY HERE, "Yes, and."

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Anyway. There's a ticTok about What Dogs Do When You Kiss Them so I grabbed the wombat sized puppy, kissed his noggin and he curled his head under mine and licked my chin.

ee's baby Rottweiler is here. He has about a hundred pounds to gain in the next 10 months so he mostly sleeps. I call him Carl. He is one of those show dogs so he has one of those BEST IN SHOW names.

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The Genie

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 03:04:26 GMT

On my way into work I listen to the Spanish station to practice my Spanish and every so often I'll ask someone who speaks spanish what "llame" (call) etc means. So I've been asking for awhile, "What does "elhenyelucas" mean?" And everyone looks confused. I finally looked it up.
http://www.alexelgeniolucas.com/

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Sun, 28 Mar 2021 16:37:00 GMT

A week ago: "What do you need help with for Oakes party?"
*crickets*

*as I'm getting in the car* "Can you make some food?"
"no."

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Replicant; or why I fail math, succeed in neurology

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 02:48:36 GMT

The Dreamwidth Capcha is so fucking esoteric. If you have Capacha enabled on your comments I guaranty that I get confused by the question at least half the time and can't respond. Today's was:

"Pink, egg and black: how many colours in the list?"

WHAT KIND OF A QUESTION IS THAT!

Well, you're British, so are these British colors? Is black a color? like are we discussing pigments or light rays?

One last week was:

"What's Bob's name?"

PROBABLY ROBERT????

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Sat, 09 Jan 2021 18:56:42 GMT

How are you all posting pictures?

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The Good Books of July 2020

Sun, 02 Aug 2020 05:07:01 GMT

Fatigue by Jennifer Acker

Weaving Rag Rugs

Fashion: The Collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute

Everything my Mother Taught me by Alice Hoffman

Zenith Man by Jennifer Haigh

Handwoven Baby Blankets: This one has some different ways to finish the ends.

The Antelope Wife by Louise Edrich

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected on Water by Zen Cho

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I read some books in June

Sat, 04 Jul 2020 18:08:08 GMT

I don't typically read that much in the summer, but it's been epidemic. I think I actually left off talking about books in March, so since then.

Clyde Fans by Seth

Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan

The Autobiography of Ben Franklin: Oh the shopping list.

The Outsiders by SE Hinton: Roz was shocked that I'd never read this before, nor heard of it.

The Book of X by Sara Rose Etter: That meat mine.

Permanent Record by Mary HK Choi: This was cute.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: Yup finally read it, the end was good.

Before Her by Jacqueline Woodson

The Endometriosis Source Book: Eat soy, don't eat soy. Eat grain, NO GRAINS. Entirely unhelpful. Really the way to go is to only eat avocados and fruit.

This is How You Lose the Time War. AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

Swamplandia. ONE STAR. Really. You torture, rape, and kill all your female characters AS A WOMAN AUTHOR.

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami: His best book yet and probably my best book of the year. Such suspense!

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Fri, 13 Mar 2020 03:36:48 GMT

oh yeah, and I got rid of the candy bowl. No candy bowl during an epidemic LOL.

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The Good Books of December and January

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 01:32:10 GMT

I forgot to write last month..

Why We Can't Sleep, Women's New Midlife Crisis: I'm on the Gen X Millennial line, and I think I got the best of both.

Warping All By Yourself by Cay Garret

A Handweaver's Pattern Book

The Coat Route: Craft, Luxury, & Obsession on the Trail of a $50,000 Coat

The Starless Sea

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Tue, 14 Jan 2020 04:57:11 GMT

I finished the Return of the Obra Dinn!!!

...I didn't actually want my life back.

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Best Book of 2019

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 17:01:35 GMT

Best book of the year was probably the Wayfairers Series by Becky Chambers.

Just as good was The Book of the Unnamed Midwife (series) by Meg Ellison

and Circe by Madeline Miller.

Best Graphic Novel was Rusty Brown by Chris Ware.

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The Books of November

Sat, 30 Nov 2019 20:49:30 GMT

We had FIVE snow days.
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Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak: All the important female characters die. That's why you only get 3 stars.

Anonymous by Uzodinma Uweala

The Collector by Sergio Toppi: Very beautiful

Will Williams by Namwail Serpell

The Best Girls by Min Jin Lee: I knew the ending right away but I still cried!

Atlas Obscura by Joshua Foer: I didn't think it would be different from the website but it is a different experience.

UnGirls by Lauren Beukes: She's such a good horror writer, this is my second of hers and recognized her style right away.

Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner

The Beckoning Fair One by by Dan Chaon: That didn't make any sense.

Loam by Scott Heim: AAAHHH SCARY GOOD HORROR

Rusty Brown by Chris Ware. It's a Chris Ware book. Nothing more, nothing less. Always is Best Book of The Year or close.

Sector 7 by David Wesiner. SO BEAUTIFUL.

Falls the Shadow by Skip Horack: Ooof, no one liked this one.

The Hillside by Jane Smiley. Her work has just never clicked with me.

There's No Place Like Home by Edan Lepucki: Probably the best of the Warmer Collection. Great characters.

The Lonesome Body Builder by Yukiko Motoya, Asa Yoneda (Translator): All of these are wonderful.

Controller by Jesse Kellerman

At the Bottom of a New Lake by Sonya Larson: Add this to your collection of excellent YA queer WOC stories. Must read more by this author.

The Way the World Ends by Jess Walker. Super cute!

Boca Raton by Laura Groff: Did not make sense.

Bad Therapist by Evan Wright: Great story.

Ms. Mirage by Joe Tone.

Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks: Kittens and young women scientists!

Where's Halmoni by Julie Kim: Beautiful! Worth giving as a present.

The Brain's Way of Healing by Norman Doidge. NO STARS. What a bunch of snake oil and bullshit. Did not finish.

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: I CRIED THROUGH THE WHOLE BOOK. JUST RUN AWAY YOU DUMB TWINK.

The Two Million Dollar Intern by David Guavey Herbert.

King of Dreams by Christie Thompson.

Nightcrawlers by Rosecrans Baldwin. Very interesting!

The Officer and the Entrepreneur by Dan Slater: You sit there the whole time going, "Well, that's a bad idea, no wait, don't do that..."

How to Feed a Brain by Calvin Balaster. No, hard pass, throw the whole damn book out. Farting after you eat eggs does not mean you are allergic to them.

I'll Carry the Fork: Recovering life after a brain injury by Kara Swanson. Five Stars! Hilarious. excellent information.

The Concussion Recovery Guide by Frances Citrone: She's not a doctor. There are some nice hints in here but she's just trying to get you to buy her vitamins, that you need to take because the diet she suggests will leave you with a hearty case of Gout.

Love and Estrogen by Samantha Allen: LGBTQ memoir.

The List by Jade Chang

Boyfriends of Dorothy by Wednesday Martin: Ally memoir.

Everybody Loves Kamau by Kamau Bell. She had an AMAZING grandfather for him to react like that in the long run, like I STILL don't speak to my dad and did not see my grandfather for the last decade of his life.

Single Asiatic Male Seeks Ride or Die Chick by Eddie Huang. Literally no one has any idea what he's saying? And it's a stupid story even? Like I read Clockwork Orange and Trainspotting and they made more sense than this.

Parsnips in Love by Porochista Khakpour. Oh this is soooo cute and endearing.

When Brains Collide by Michael D Lewis. It's the Omega 3 Protocol. I might have to try it. The vegetarian version anyway, since removing all the tiny fish from the ocean leaves a dead ocean and we're getting there....

Two Henrys by Kevin Allen: LGBTQ memoir.

The Third Man by Mani Sheiar. What.

Black Sheep by Rory Scholl: This was so good I read it out loud to John while dying of laughter.

I HAVE SOME BIGGER BOOKS FOR NEXT MONTH SO MAYBE FEWER BOOKS IN DECEMBER.

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Part 2

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 22:27:24 GMT

WASH YOUR GLASSES WITH WARM WATER AND DISH SOAP. YOUR WHOLE GLASSES, ALL THE PARTS, NOT JUST THE LENSES, YOU FILTHY HUMAN.
EVERY DAY!!!
EVERY
DAY

Nose pads should not be green (or broken, or missing). *vomit* If they are starting to turn green, get them changed at the optical. IT'S FREE.

WHEN they are really green and you are taking them to the optical: YOU DAMN WELL BETTER BRING LINDT CHOCOLATES WE ARE NOT PAID ENOUGH TO TOUCH YOUR FACE CHEESE.

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The books of September and October

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 03:34:04 GMT

It's been a month since I was given Amazon Kindle Unlimited AND I was in some many airplanes and trains and two typhoons and 2 snow days.
I know the library and Hoopla are free, but they have terrible methods of browsing and hoopty robots for making suggestions. Like if you tell me I need to read a book, the library is the best place to get it, but if I need to figure out my next book to read than Kindle it is. Hoopla has good things but there's a lot of junk to wade through (but it is also good for comics).
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The Shanghai Free Taxi: Journeys with the Hustlers and Rebels of the New China: fantastic.

We Are Loving Bisexuals And They Are Living Bicycles by Chuck Tingle. My first tingler! This really messed up the book recommendation algorithm.

The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay. This one hit hard as a therapist. I may have to try Head Full of Ghosts again.

There There by Tommy Orange. Everything is awful. Well written and beautiful but so so sad.

Japan Travel Guide: Things I Wish I Knew Before Going To Japan skip.

All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir by Nicole Chung. It was okay.

A Beginner's Guide to Japan: Observations and Provocations by Pico Iyer

Window Horses by Ann Marie Fleming. All the characters are worth your emotional investment.

Summer Frost by Blake Crouch. My favorite of the Forward series.

How to Instant Pot: Mastering All the Functions of the One Pot That Will Change the Way You Cook Oh my god, how to clean your Instant Pot. Really clean it.

Splendid Life by Scott C. He shows the process he goes through for his drawings,. I used some of his steps in my Inktobers and they look so much better!

O Josephine! by Jason

Ark by Veronica Roth. It's cute.

You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

Randomize by Andy Weir

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife (The Road to Nowhere, #1), The Book of Etta (The Road to Nowhere #2), The Book of Flora (The Road to Nowhere, #3) I'll be buying this series for people for Christmas. Very upsetting. Very worth it. Characters that you carry with you.

Circe by Madeline Miller. SO GOOD. Especially if you adored D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths as a young person. Or Xena (has anyone watched those recently, did they hold up?).

A Mind Unraveled by Kurt Eichenwald. Unless you are really into epilepsy or the ADA, you can skip it.

The Remedy by Adam Haslett

Hannah-Beast by Jennifer McMahon. Perfect Halloween!

Miao Dao by Joyce Carol Oates. One of her better ones!

Emergency Skin by NK Jemisin

Oak Avenue by Brandi Reeds. Nice and spooky!

The Tangled Woods by Emily Robateau

The Sleep Tight Motel by Lisa Unger

Brain Safari: 5-Minute Experiments to Explore the Space Between Your Ears

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